A Treasure Lost
by Obnoxiously Overcooked
Summary: In revision. Jim loses everything he has worked for and sets out to find himself. Rating not yet determined.
1. Prequel

Prequel

Jim Hawkins had it all. He had come a long way from that scrawny teen who haphazardly had managed to blow up an entire planet filled with treasure. He was still scrawny and had not grown old yet – only a few days ago turning twenty-seven – but he most certainly had changed. He was in possession of a mansion on the outskirts of The Capitol in which he lived with his beautiful, kind and devoted fiancée named Jessica and the tiny shapeshifter Morph who persistently followed Jim wherever he went.

He had worked for several years as a captain aboard a variety of different ships and had also served as an interplanetary police officer until Jessica opened her heart and asked for a child. He sold his ship and left Montressor Spaceport the day after, his love for Jessica far greater than his yearning to soar among the stars. Mere days after quitting his job he was offered a different one, as Executive Officer of the Interplanetary Trade Company (ITC) which he accepted without a doubt. The job itself was as dull and uninspiring as the name might suggest but he did not care, for it meant he had no more than fifteen minutes to travel between his home and his job.

That was seven months ago. Jessica's stomach grew slowly and persistently. Unfortunately, as did Jim's longing to travel, to set sail towards horizons never before seen. Almost every night Jessica caught him staring blankly up toward the stars. When she did, she always leaned down; putting her head on his shoulder, taking his hand and placing it on her stomach. When she did he always startled, looked at her, smiled faintly and placed a kiss on her lips. "Aren't you happy?" She had asked one day. He looked her straight in the eyes, confusion and disbelief in his eyes,

"I am, believe me. I love you, I really do, and I love our son. I love him to bits and you know I do. I'm just being stupid. Forgive me?" He smiled again. She sat down in his lap and put her arms around him and he put his head on her chest, inhaling her scent. Jim's hands carefully stroked her swollen belly, pressing very lightly to feel the being that grew inside. She leaned down and kissed him again, passionately as only she could and Jim sighed, forgetting completely all about stars and dreams of the life he once gave up.


	2. Something horribly wrong

Two months later

"Jim." Jessicas voice trembled and seemed oddly faint. Jim looked up from the large pile of work he had brought home to be able to spend as much time as possible by Jessica's side. Morph circled around her head, chirping anxiously while taking on a slight green colour. "Jim!" She yelled, standing up now. Jim rose to his feet as Jessica clutched her stomach tightly.

"What's the matter? Is it time? What's going on? Speak to me!" A flicker of excitement lit in Jim, although something made him suspicious. Something was wrong, and he felt it.

"Jim, I-" Jessica groaned in pain. Her legs shook and suddenly her knees gave in. She would have sunk to the floor had it not been for Jim's arm quickly wrapping itself around her shoulders and slowly bringing her to the ground with him, placing her in his lap on the floor. She was white as a sheet and appeared very frightened.

"Jessica, what's happening?" He was growing worried. This wasn't what was supposed to happen, was it? Her head dropped onto his shoulder for a second before she yanked it up again with a squeal.

"I-" She stammered, eyes wide in fear, "Someth- wrong Jim. Help me." She was not looking at him but gazed into the ceiling which they had repainted light blue only that summer. Her eyes seemed to have trouble focusing and she breathed in small gasps. "I can't.. Help! It hurts! Make it stop, Jim. Save him!" Her voice grew louder and she rubbed the bottom side of her enormous stomach. "Save my baby..." Jim nearly panicked hearing her call for aid and he grasped for the solar phone in his pocket.

"fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckthisisn'thappening…" He mumbled as he tried his best to dial 199 to the emergency room. "Hang on, baby, I won't let anything happen to you or our child, I pr-"

"This is emergency, how can I help you?" A cool woman's voice interrupted.

"Yeah, hi," Jim tried to breathe, to calm himself all while his fiancée writhed in pain in his lap. "I- We're having a baby!" He stammered, "but something's wrong. She just suddenly collapsed and says something is wrong and she's in a lot of pain what do I do can you send someone ." Jim's voice broke several times when suddenly Jessica's hands, still rubbing her lower stomach, were covered in blood which he soon realized came from underneath her dress, where there most certainly wasn't meant to be blood yet. The woman on the phone kept calm;

"How many minutes have passed since she collapsed?"

"I- I don't know. One, two, five, I don't know. Please send someone over, right now."

"We'll send a team over right away. Meanwhile I'm going to stay with you, is that ok?"

"Yeah, whatever." Jim replied, his stomach sinking in horror as he noticed the increasing amount of blood staining Jessica's yellow dress. "Sweetness can you hear me? They're sending someone. It'll all be over soon, all right?"

"No, no, please help me. I- it's wrong, so wrong." She mumbled, seemingly to herself while tears ran down her cheeks and she writhed slowly back and forth in pain, giving off tiny yelps from time to time.

"You'll be fine, I'll make sure of it. Do you understand?" He stroked her cheek, his eyes filling up with tears but she didn't seem to notice, her gaze fixed to the ceiling. "Why aren't they coming? Now! She needs help!" This he yelled into the phone. The woman replied softly to be patient; that the medics would knock on their door within moments.

Suddenly Jessica looked right at him, whites visible all the way around her pupils. Her hand, stained with her own blood caught his and she held on tightly. "Jim.." She said, a tiny smile on her lips. "Jim I love you. I love you more than anything in the world."

"Oh no." Jim clutched her hand tightly. "Don't you say that. It'll be all right. You'll be all right, and so will our son."

"You don't understand. I-"Her sentence was cut short and ended in a blood-chilling scream of horror and pain. She screamed until she was out of air, upon which she drew a shallow breath and wailed. It was a sound that tore at Jim's very core. he clutched her in his arms, rocking back and forth to try and comfort her but to no use. She wailed louder and louder, tears streaming down her cheeks and into her long, dark hair, bellowing a sound that nearly turned Jim deaf. Then she fell silent. Her eyes rolled back and she lost consciousness. The door suddenly opened and there were five medics, quickly pacing to her, pushing Jim away as they examined her and lifted her onto a stretcher. Jim trotted behind as they carried her outside and into their waiting vehicle.

"Unfortunately you cannot come along. We're a full crew and her condition is very delicate."

Jim's mouth fell open. "/Excuse me/? That's rubbish. I need to see her, she needs me. Don't be ridiculous." He tried to push his way in but the men were firm. He yelled; "Let me through! Now!"

"I'm sorry. Go to the hospital and they will guide you right up immediately." By that they turned and left, leaving Jim alone on the porch, his hands soaked in blood and tears still streaming down his face. This was not happening.

"Fucking dickheads!" He spun around, desperate to find the quickest mean of transport. His eyes immediately fell upon something that had been stashed away for years. Only the tip of his solar board stuck out from under the porch but it prodded at his vision as though yearning to be used again. Morph shapeshifted into a tiny replica of the board, encouraging him to take it. Without another word he ran to the porch and took it out. It was quite rusty and covered in dust but it worked, that was the most important thing. He jumped onto it, his feet instinctively finding their right positions on the board. His face was determined as he stamped once on the ignition lever. The solar board huffed. The stamped again. It scuffed, before it suddenly ignited and shot forwards. Jim was caught by surprise but soon regained confidence and crouched down to gain speed. Morph transformed into a wristwatch, tying itself around Jim's wrist and clutching tightly to it.

He was free again. Despite the fact that he was panicking and he wanted nothing else than for this to be over, he could not help but to feel comforted by the rush of air rustling his brown hair and the familiar adrenalin surging through his veins. He sped up even more, hoping for all he was worth that the cops wouldn't pull him over. 'Jessica, you wonderful sweetheart of mine, hold on. I'm coming.'


	3. Hospital

**Author's note: Sorry for taking so long, I had a concert to prepare and then things came up, but here you go!**

He must have broken every speed limit possible on the way to the hospital. In his mind existed only one image; Jessica, smiling and tucking a strand of that beautiful hair behind her delicate ear, while his own hands rested on her stomach where their son was growing quickly, the feeling of his tiny feet kicking at the soft skin of his fiancée giving him a rush of endorphins. Everything was going to be ok. It had to be ok. His whole world revolved around his family. He swallowed at the thought of revealing what had happened to his unsuspecting mother. She had been the one keenest on the idea of a child. He had caught her several times just looking at him and smiling warmly, although she firmly denied it every time. If something happened… Jimmy did not wish to think about this as he jumped off his solar board at the entrance, placing it carefully leaned against the wall and locking it with a tiny remote control.

The hall was about as uninviting as it could be, pale white and with a stench of old people, mashed potatoes and of sterile corridors. Jim ran to the reception. "My fiancée was just transported here, she collapsed at home. She's having our son. Where do I go? I want to see them. Now." It was not until the last word that he realized how intimidating he sounded, but the being behind the desk - an octopus-like creature with multiple arms but a calming manner and kind eyes - furrowed her brow in compassion.

"Second floor, third door on the right. What's her name?"

"Jessica Rhine." The woman - or whatever it was - tapped the words onto her keyboard and peered at her screen. Her mouth fell slightly ajar for a fraction of a second before she looked up and cleared her throat, refusing to meet his eyes but looking instead at a point above his left shoulder.

"When you get there, go to the room furthest down the hall. Don't go inside. Sit down outside, there's a bench just outside the door." She barely had time to finish the sentence before Jim dashed off towards the stairs. He leaped to the second floor in two giant steps and threw himself up to the third floor.

Following her directions he soon ended up outside an operating room with the sign [ICU] printed in big letters on the door. Shivering and out of breath he sat down, watching people enter and exit without ever getting a chance to see Jessica. He tried to breathe calmly and deeply while resting his head in his hands. A woman stepped out of the room, probably a nurse. "Excuse me!" Jim called out and she spun around to meet his gaze. She was short, with a pixie cut and a miniscule frame. Small wings poked out from underneath her scrubs. Her eyes were large, very friendly and understanding. Jim asked; "How is she?" The nurse looked back once into the closed door.

"Are you a relative?"

"She's my fiancée."

"Oh, you're Jim. She's been calling out for you." Jim groaned silently, his stomach turning at the thought of her all alone in there.

"Can I see her?"

The nurse opened her mouth then closed it again, before opening it and saying;

"No. She's very weak and unstable. We're doing all we can at the moment." She avoided to look at him.

"I… thank you." He hung with his head, trying to resist an urge to push her to the side and force his way into the room as the nurse walked away.

He sat on pins and needles for the next hour, watching people running into the room, walking slowly out again without looking at him. Eventually the exits and entrances seized and the doctor walked out, a thin woman in her late forties with grey hair and a worn expression. She had removed her cap and was walking towards him.

"Dare I ask?" He questioned softly as she approached.

"We can't promise anything. I'm sorry. She miscarried-" Jim winced at the word, hitting his head on the wall behind him, "-and she is very weak, although stabile for the moment." Relief washed over Jim. At least she wasn't… dead.

"When can I see her? Now?"

The doctor looked troubled, as though contemplating something, sighed, nodded silently and said; "Be very careful. She's not conscious, and should she wake up she should not yet find out about the miscarriage, she is too weak." Jim nodded.

He felt his throat clogging when he entered the room. Jessica was wired up to several machines and there was a robot hovering in the air around her, monitoring her every twitch. She was even paler than before and breathed shallowly though calmly through a machine which huffed and puffed in pace with her rising and sinking chest. Jim cleared his throat, looking a lot like a young schoolboy, uncomfortable but trying his best to keep from running away or crying. 'She is alive,' he told himself over and over. Jessica was alive; his beautiful fiancée was simply sleeping. She was to wake up any second now.

Jim walked the few steps to the side of the bed and sat down on a chair next to it. "Shit." He said, and then regretted his words. Was that really the right words to say? What does one say? He put his head in his hands and sighed deeply. He had no idea what to say. Jessica's hand was poking out from underneath the bed sheets and on her ring finger sat the pearl ring he had given her not two months ago. He took her delicate hand, stroking her soft fingers with his own. "F- fuck." He breathed. Her hand was warm but it was as if the warmth wasn't hers, as though someone had heated her skin with a blow-dryer to keep it lukewarm for his pleasure. It wasn't the warmth he usually felt when holding it. He traced a finger along the back of her hand but everything felt wrong, like the feeling of touching your own skin when it has gone numb. He looked at her face but didn't see anything but a shade of what was once his fiancée. Where were her dimples, the sparkle in her eye or the creases that appeared on her brow when she concentrated? All gone on this pale white doll, put here to resemble his beloved.

Jim suddenly felt anger rise inside him and he stood up. How could she have left him like this? How dared she take the life of his unborn son? How dare his unborn son take the life of his Jessica (No wait, she was alive, calm down) and leave him alone? He had to grit his teeth not to give a shout and he paced about in a circle around the room, thoughts grinding at his very core of his being; why had fate taken her away like this with no warning? Why hadn't he taken better care of her? If he had properly managed his duties as her lover and partner this would never have happened. This was his fault, this was her fault. This was his son's fault! "You just left." His voice was trembling violently. "And you took our son with you!" He looked at her and his anger immediately gave way to other emotions as he realized she wasn't dead after all. According to the doctors she was very much alive. Hope sparked inside him again and he sank down to sit on her bed; gently, trying not to disturb her delicate condition.

"I love you, Jessica. I do, I love you more than anything in the entire world and just looking at you right now, like this, is so heart breaking I can actually hear my body split in half…" With a finger he brushed away a strand of hair from her forehead. "But this is hard. Sorry for the bad thoughts. I'm not thinking clearly. Please wake up? If I sit here and beg for you to come back, then will you?" He looked at her hopefully; half expecting her to jerk open those beautiful eyes of hers but when she didn't, he sighed and leaned his forehead against the bed sheets and closed his eyes, listening intently for any change in the steady beeping and swooshing of the machines around them.

_Upon a great ship stood a woman, dressed in Captain's robes. She watched with a steady eye towards the horizon and her stance carried such authority she almost seemed to glow in the faint light around them. Suddenly she smirked, peering down at Jim who was standing on deck, with mischievousness in her eyes and spoke in a soft voice that he recognized; Jessica's voice. In an instant the figure changed and Jessica was the one peering down at him, her long hair catching in the wind.  
>"Darling. I love you. Thank you. Now sleep, and forgive me." Her voice was distant, as though from another world. She smiled warmly and was now next to him and he tried to embrace her but failed as she skipped out of reach. Suddenly her face contorted with pain and she gave a gasp. Her dress was now blood-red and he knew the blood was hers. She breathed quickly and clutched to the railing. He saw something moving beneath her dress but emerging from her womb was not a baby but a beast, a hideous lizard-like creature which hissed as it climbed up her stomach and curled its long, spiked tail around her throat. Jim tried to move, to free her of this creature but his feet were nailed to the ground and he could do nothing but watch. The creature bared its glistening white teeth and buried them deep into her neck and she gasped again as the creature coiled its tail tighter, turning into a snake as its head rocked back and forth, poisoning her flesh and tackling her to the ground where the snake grew longer, coiling around her whole body. She gave a horrified, blood-curling scream.<em>

Jim jerked his eyes open, flying upright in his chair as he realized she wasn't just screaming in his dream but very much in reality. Her eyes were wide open in fright but it appeared she could not see anything but her own pain and Jim leaned over the bed to embrace her, taking her in his arms but she did not notice. Through the doors rushed several medics and they tore him away from her and pushed him out through the door. He resisted but when two male nurses both pushed frantically to keep him sitting he gave up the struggle and receded to thumping his head against the hard wall behind him, more restless than he had ever been.

He could read the doctor's expression as soon as the woman exited the room and gave a wince in despair. Her cap was off but this time it was not because her shift was over and her eyes met his, wordlessly offering condolences for the words she was about to speak.

"I'm sorry. We did everything we could. Jessica did not survive the seizure."


End file.
